Learn To Love
by PhantomoftheBarricade1832
Summary: It was the wrong man. Her father had brought home the wrong man, and since he had passed she was now stuck with him. With her father and lover gone, can she learn how to love this broken man? Can he love her in return?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello, trying something new here. I just wanted to write something completely different, and this is what I came up with. I am using some book elements, like Marius' physical description, but other than that it's based on the musical. So for the sake of my story, my Marius is based on Ramin Karimloo. I don't own Les Miserables. Enjoy.

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Chapter 1

They had barely escaped. Valjean had managed to slip into the sewers, Marius on his shoulder, as the army took over the barricade. He found the boy in the most unusual spot. Valjean had walked into the café and spotted Marius passed out next to some empty bottles of wine.

Valjean tried not to judge the boy too harshly. If he made his Cosette happy, Valjean could look past his drinking habit. Something else he noticed was that Marius was also- how should he put this- less handsome than how Cosette had described him to be. He still had the raven hair, but his face was scruffier and- dare he say it- uglier than he had imagined.

He pushed the thought away as soon as it entered his mind. If he made Cosette happy, than who was he to judge. Another thing Valjean noticed was that Marius was heavier than he had originally planned. Valjean was a strong man, and Marius looked skinny, but when Valjean picked him up he actually stumbled a little.

Must be from all that wine, Valjean had thought. When he had righted his grip on the unconscious man, he headed outside, looking for the quickest route of escape. When he found the sewer gate, he crept over a placed Marius on the ground.

He had gone in first, then tugged Marius down with him. They fell in the slime, and Valjean had scared off Thénardier. Now here he was, trudging through slime with drunk boy slung across his shoulders. Valjean groaned when he saw the dirty water rise up higher as he continued on.

He practically swam through the muck, making sure to keep Marius' head above the surface. Once he had reached his exit, Valjean put Marius back on his shoulder, and opened the gate.

He sighed as the cool summer night welcomed him. He was about to continue on, when he saw a figure standing above him. It was Javert. Of course. Valjean couldn't do one simple task without this man on his tail.

"I knew you wouldn't wait long, Javert," Valjean said to him.

"If you think I'll let you go because of what you did for me at the barricade, then you're wrong," Javert replied. Valjean let out a sigh.

"Javert, listen to me," Valjean pleaded. "This man here with me needs to see a doctor. He's been injured, and time is running short for him. Please Javert, have a heart." Lies all lies. Wasn't he supposed to have redeemed himself from that darkness?

Javert faltered for a second, and Valjean took it as a sign to climb up. Once he reached to the top, Valjean moved passed him. He stopped when he heard the sound of Javert loading his pistol.

"Take one more step, Valjean," Javert trained the gun on him, "and you both shall die."

Valjean ignored him, and moved forward. He waited for the pain of the bullet to strike him, but it never came. He held in his surprise and moved forward. Javert never fired the gun and Valjean wonder why he suddenly changed his mind.

Valjean hefted Marius farther up on his shoulder, moving towards his apartment, forgetting that Javert was even there.

* * *

Once he had reached the apartment building. Valjean quietly made his way up the steps and opened the door to number five. He sighed when he saw the familiar room, left the just like how it was when he went to the barricade.

He made his way over to the couch, gently laying the boy on it. He was about to go get a blanket when he heard a quiet, "Papa?", from the hall. He turned and saw his Cosette standing there, in her cream colored nightgown. Her blonde hair was pulled to the side into a braid that fell gently over her shoulder.

"Oui Cosette, it's me," he answered. She walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck. He placed his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Thank The Lord you're alright," Cosette mumbled into his shirt. He stroked her silky hair.

"I'm just glad that I could come home to you," he said. He pulled away and smiled at her.

Cosette smiled back, but looked over his shoulder and saw Marius lying on the couch. She gave her father a questioning look.

"Papa, who is that?" she asked. Valjean turned around, following her gaze.

"Don't you recognize him?" Valjean asked. Didn't she recognize Marius?

Cosette shook her head in response. "I've never seen him in my life," she answered.

"Cosette, that's Marius," Valjean said. "Don't you recognize him?"

Cosette moved towards the couch and studied the man. After a few moments she turned to face her father again.

"Papa," she said, "that's not Marius."

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AN: Oh, cliffhanger. So if that's not Marius, then who is it? Tell me your guesses by reviewing. I hope you enjoyed. Let me know if I should continue. Till next time-Phantom


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hello, I'm back! Sorry I had finals the past two weeks of school plus I had mini camp last week for marching band. Basics suck, but the new guys are awesome. Anyways, school's done! Yay! And I got an A on my math final, which is huge for me. Alright, so many of you were correct this is Grantaire and this whole story will contain a Cosette/Grantaire ship. I don't own Les Misérables. Enjoy.

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Chapter 2

Cosette sighed as she sat in an armchair next to the man on the couch. After explaining to her father that the man before them was not her beloved Marius, they had continued about their lives as normal. After dinner her father went to his room, leaving Cosette alone with him.

She didn't cry, she told herself that she would later in the darkness of her room. She just sat there, staring at the ceiling and sighing mournfully every few minutes. She sat there unmoving, her thoughts occupied by Marius. At the thought of him she sighed once more.

"Are you alright, mademoiselle?" a voice from behind her asked. Cosette jumped, startled, and hastily stood, smoothing out the creases in her nightgown.

"I'm alright, monsieur," she responded. She looked over at the man and saw him looking her up and down, his eyes landing on her breasts for a moment. She threw her arms over her breasts, glaring at him.

"Oh, forgive me, mademoiselle," he apologized quickly. "I wasn't staring, well, maybe just a little-" he trailed off, a blush rising to his scruffy face.

Cosette let out a scoff, turning her back slightly towards him. "Don't you have any manners?" she asked haughtily.

The man gave a grin. "Can't say that I do, mademoiselle," he replied. Cosette scoffed again.

"Well, you should try them sometime," she replied, annoyed.

"I'm terribly sorry, mademoiselle," the man said sincerely. "We got off on the wrong foot. Let's start over. My name is René Grantaire, but you can call me Grantaire or R."

Cosette turned to face him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Grantaire," she said. "My name is Cosette Fauchelevent."

"Pleasure to meet you," he said. She smiled lightly at him and sat back down in the armchair. Grantaire returned the gesture, but his smile quickly faded into a look of confusion.

"You said your name was Cosette," he said softly. She didn't know if he was talking to her, or to himself. Cosette ended up nodding anyway.

The man gave a small laugh. "Well I'll be damned," he said, still laughing. She shifted uncomfortably at his language. She was used to hearing her father's gentle words, or the soft spoken words of her Marius. This man seemed to be the complete opposite of both.

"What?" she asked.

"You're the Cosette that Marius would gush about. The very same Cosette that drove our leader absolutely mad." Cosette didn't know how to respond. Marius spoke of her. Enough to drive someone mad, apparently. She smiled.

"He spoke of me to his friends?" she asked, a pretty blush appearing on her pale cheeks. The man nodded.

"All the time, mademoiselle," he said. "He would go on and on about your golden hair, your deep blue eyes, your smooth voice. He was worse than our Prouvaire!" A big smile was painted on Grantaire's face.

"Who was Prouvaire?" she questioned. Grantaire stopped smiling. His eyes grew dark and Cosette feared that she had crossed a line. She began to apologize.

"I'm sorry-" he cut her off.

"Prouvaire, my dear mademoiselle, was our resident poet," Grantaire said. "He carried around an old, battered journal where he kept his poems. He was also into nature. One could find him outside if the weather would allow it. He was a good man. Many thought him to be weak, but Jehan Prouvaire was full of surprises. He was quite the little spitfire. He sometimes had a temper that could match Apollo's-"

"Apollo?" she asked. "Isn't he a God from some Greek myth?"

Grantaire smiled. "You are correct. Apollo is what I called our chief, Enjolras. He was a very handsome man, but he was capable of being terrible. He looked like you actually. He had blond curls and deep blue eyes. When he spoke everyone would stop. People were naturally drawn to him, well, at least I was." His eyes grew dark again.

"You don't have to tell me," she said softly. She laid a gentle hand on top of his.

"I've already started the story, I might as well finish it," he said, waving her off. "Enjolras was determined to help the poor. He led our group, named the Les Amis de l'ABC. He would give speeches about change and everyone followed him, except for me. You see, I am nothing but a cynic. I spend my days drinking and Enjolras didn't care to much for my habit. We would fight constantly, yet he always let me come back to the meetings. I never understood that and I never will," he sighed.

"Why won't you, monsieur?" she said.

"Because he is dead, mademoiselle. Or he will be soon," Grantaire's voice was full of pain and sorrow. "Enjolras led the group that Marius was apart of. Marius fought in Enjolras' revolution and died in it. It was a lost cause, but Enjolras refused to see that until it was too late." A lone tear slipped down Grantaire's cheek.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Monsieur Grantaire," Cosette said. He smiled at her sadly.

"I'm sorry for your loss as well," he replied. "I know how much you meant to Marius. He must have meant a lot to you as well."

Cosette felt her own eyes water, but refused to let the tears fall. "He did. I'm sure we would've wed if he had come back."

"That's my fault," Grantaire said. Cosette shook her head.

"No. It's not," she insisted. "It was an honest mistake. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm thankful someone has escaped from that awful place."

"I'll try not to, mademoiselle Cosette," Grantaire said. "I remember Marius saying something about you and your father giving money and food to the poor. I'm sure Enjolras would've liked you if he properly met you. He never communicated with females, yet he somehow took a shinning to our 'Ponine-"

"'Ponine?" Cosette interrupted once more, then blushed. "I'm sorry. That's not very lady like. Continue."

"It's fine. Yes, 'Ponine. Éponine Thénardier," Grantaire said. Cosette froze.

"Did you say Thénardier?"

"Yes. Why?" Grantaire asked.

"I grew up with her. We were like siblings, except for the fact that her family treated me like their slave," Cosette said bitterly. "I forgave her long ago, though. She was just a child following her mother's poor example of how to treat people. I didn't forgive her at first, but my father taught me how to look past everything and see the good in people. I would've liked to have seen her again."

"I never talked to her much. She mostly stuck around Marius and was very quiet," Grantaire explained. "She seemed like a nice girl and she very pretty for gamine. I can see why Enjolras liked her. But she liked Marius."

Cosette's interest was peaked. "She liked Marius?"

"Yes. She died for him."

"She died for him?" Cosette asked in wonderment. Grantaire nodded.

"Took a bullet for him. She actually gave him the letter that you wrote for him." Cosette was amazed.

"She died for him," she whispered to herself. "Took a bullet for him. Died for him. She loved him. Oh, Éponine."

"She went peacefully," Grantaire assured her. "Marius held her as she went."

"Well, Monsieur Grantaire," Cosette announced, standing. "I think it's best we both get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that she left the man alone and went into the welcoming darkness of her room.

* * *

Cosette sat on her bed, the moon casting a glow on her pale skin and making her tears look silver. Her conversation with Grantaire was still buzzing in her head as she silently wept for her love, for Éponine, for Enjolras, and for Jehan Prouvaire. She could only imagine what he must be going through. Those were his friends after all.

She wiped her eyes and readied herself for bed. Once she was settled under her covers, she allowed herself to weep once more. Her crying eventually wore her out and she slipped into a fitful rest. Before she fell asleep she prayed that her father and Grantaire couldn't hear her.

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AN: Well that was emotionally draining. I hope I got Grantaire's character alright. This is my first time using him as a main character, so let me know if I nailed it or failed it. Review if you enjoyed, it helps me out a ton. Till next time-Phantom


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello once again. I'm glad people like this story. I was nervous at first, but I really want to continue this. I don't own Les Misérables. Enjoy.

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Chapter 3

The look Cosette got from Grantaire the next morning tipped her off that she wasn't quiet enough last night. As soon as she saw the look of sadness and pity in his eyes, she turned away and bid her father good morning. Valjean didn't suspect anything. Either he didn't hear her, or was pretending that he didn't for her sake. Cosette hoped it was the first option.

During breakfast Valjean asked Grantaire questions about his life before the revolution. Cosette was only half listening. She threw in some answers occasionally, but other than that she kept to herself. She found some things that Grantaire said interesting. He was a twenty-five year old artist and he lived on his own, well he used to. He also wasn't drawn into the idea of revolution like his friends were.

That probably intrigued Cosette the most. "You don't care about the revolution, yet you fought. Why?" she asked.

Grantaire looked over at her, clearly shocked that she had asked him something. "Well, I, uh," he stumbled over his words. "I didn't care about it, you are right there, but I did believe in Enjolras. That is why I chose to fight. I fought for him."

"That's very brave, monsieur," she remarked. "To follow your lover to death."

Valjean raised an eyebrow at that statement while Grantaire flushed a deep red.

"No, no, mademoiselle," he said quickly. "Enjolras and I were not lovers. I just admired him. He did not really care for me. I punctured holes in his dreams. We were barely even friends."

"He may not have loved you, but it sounds like you loved him," Cosette said softly.

Grantaire blushed again and pushed his chair back from the table. "I think I'm done," he said. "Thank you, Monsieur Fauchelevent. If you need me I'll be outside." With that he quickly pushed his chair in and moved towards the backdoor.

Once he was outside, Valjean turned to Cosette. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Cosette stood up, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I was just pointing out what I was hearing."

Valjean sighed and stood as well. "Well what you said was very unusual," Valjean remarked. "Where on earth did you draw a conclusion like that?"

Cosette shrugged again. "It was the way that Grantaire was talking about him," she replied. "He always talks with a softer tone when Enjolras is mentioned. He also gets this look in his eyes. Like how Marius got when we were together." She felt tears well up in her eyes again.

Valjean's gaze upon her softened. "I'm sorry, mon cherie," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just forget about this conversation. Will you help me wash up?"

Cosette nodded. She gathered up the dishes from the table and brought them over to the small sink. While she helped her father, her mind was somewhere else. Grantaire was a strange man, yet an intriguing one at that. Though she had just met him, he was already growing on her slightly. She understood the pain of losing a loved one. She knew what he was going through.

Yet he kept denying his feelings towards Enjolras. Cosette saw nothing wrong with it. To her, it was just a harmless infatuation. One that was clearly one sided. It would've never become anything too big. She knew that having feelings towards another member of the same sex was wrong, but she didn't know what was so wrong about it.

It was just the same as a man loving a woman, only slightly different. She let out a soft sigh. This was all so confusing. She was brought out of her thoughts by a harsh cough coming from her left. She turned and saw her father coughing quite violently into his elbow. She quickly set down her rag and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Papa," she said softly. "Are you alright?"

He nodded in response. "Yes, Cosette," he said, brushing off her concerns. "I'm fine. Don't worry. Go on, I can finish up here."

Cosette nodded, throwing him one last concerned look before exiting the kitchen. She decided to head out to the garden where Grantaire was. She opened the backdoor and heard her father cough again. She wanted to help, but she knew that he would only brush off her concerns. She continued outside and immediately spotted Grantaire sitting on the little, marble bench.

She made her way over and cleared her throat quietly. Grantaire looked at her, clearly startled by her sudden presence.

"May I sit?" she inquired.

Grantaire nodded. "Yes, of course." He moved over slightly to make room for her.

She sat down gently and brushed her hands down her skirt. The two sat in silence, taking in the presence of the other. Neither one knew what to say. So they their Grantaire twiddling his thumbs while Cosette brushed imaginary dirt off of her skirt.

"I'm sorry if what I said this morning made you uncomfortable," Cosette said, breaking the silence.

Grantaire shook his head. "It's alright, mademoiselle."

Cosette placed a hand on top of his. "Please, call me Cosette," she said in no more than a whisper.

Grantaire nodded and it was then Cosette noticed how close she had gotten to him. She looked into his eyes, which were pools of deep blue. They were nothing like Marius' soft brown eyes. Grantaire's eyes were full of regret and sorrow, while Marius' were always full of love and joy.

His jaw also had scruff on it, while Marius' was always clear of any scruff. Grantaire's black curls were messy compared to Marius clean black locks. His breath reeked of alcohol, unlike Marius'. That's all Cosette could do while sitting there with him. Compare him to her Marius.

He was nothing like Marius. But that didn't disappoint her, like she thought it would. It intrigued her instead. Grantaire was full of surprises. She was learning that quickly. Her eyes continued to drink in his features, until they landed on his lips.

They were chapped and dry. Cosette wondered what it would be like to kiss him and before she knew it, she was leaning in. She couldn't help but notice that Grantaire made no move to stop her. He just moved closer as well. He slid closer to her on the bench, gently brushing a strand of her gold hair off of her cheek.

He leaned in ever so closer and their lips touched. Cosette felt her eyes close as they kissed. He tasted like the sweetest of wines. He was so different from Marius and she found herself liking it. That's when she broke the kiss and moved away.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. She stood up and brushed her hands shakily over her dress. "That was wrong of me. Please, forgive me."

Grantaire stood as well, taking her small hands in his large ones. "You are forgiven," he said softly. "It was not fully your fault. I'm to blame as well. I should've stopped you. You just lost Marius... God what was I thinking?"

Cosette shook her head, pulling her hands from his. "No, it was my fault. Truly, it was. I'm just so confused about everything that's going on and I did not mean for that to happen. I'm sorry, I have to go."

Cosette turned away from Grantaire and dashed out of the garden. She flung open the door, surprising her father and made a beeline for her room. She quickly shut her door and slid to the floor. She buried her face into her knees and sobbed. What was wrong with her?

He had just lost his friends and she had just lost her true love. They had just met for God's sake and she was already kissing him. She felt like she was betraying Marius. That thought made her let out another harsh sob.

This was all so confusing and Cosette felt lost and helpless. She felt like a small child. She would just have to avoid Grantaire for a few days. That would give her time to calm down and sort out her feelings. That's all she need.

Just a few days.

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AN: Well that was confusing. I know that it seems unlikely for Cosette to kiss him, but she is very confused right now. She misses Marius and her father can't provide the kind of comfort that she's looking for, so she turned to Grantaire. People always say and do things when they are confused, nervous, scared, etc.

I hope that makes sense. Anyways, I hope you liked it. Leave a review if you did, it would mean a lot. Oh, I was writing a Montparnasse/Cosette story and I was wondering if I should post it. Let me know what you guys think. I can't wait to write for you again. Till next time-Phantom


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